Bed of Roses
by Lola Estheim
Summary: Marvel fell in love with Clove eight years ago. Soon, he finds himself in the same place they shared their first kiss. But unfortunately, he's there for a different reason. Clarvel one-shot


I know that roses don't grow in beds. Or do they? I don't know. Just read and bear with me.

* * *

_There she lay, in a bed of roses. Behind the school… The beautiful Clove…_

_ She wore a long dress of pink silk, fitting her tiny curves perfectly. She wore lipstick of a deep red that complimented her skin tone. "Hey," I said, sitting down next to her._

_ "Hey," she said. Then she frowned. "Aren't you going to get your suit dirty?"_

_ "It's fine," I said, looking down at my tuxedo. "I'm probably not going to wear it again anyway."_

_ "It's crazy, isn't it?" she asked. I looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked._

_ "Buying fancy suits and dresses for just one night at prom."_

_ I turned to her, looking at her intensely. "Why'd you leave the dance?"_

_ "I brought Cato. He's just my friend, but he abandoned me to be with Glimmer." When I found out that my best friend, Cato, was going with Clove, I was insanely jealous. I never told anyone about my crush on Clove, so he never knew. It wouldn't have done any good anyway, or so I'd thought._

_ "Is someone jealous?"_

_ "Well it would've been nice if he didn't just leave like that," she said with a sigh. "It's just that prom is supposed to be the best time of your life… and I'm having a crappy night."_

_ "Me too. I came alone," I said. "There was no one worth asking. The girl I wanted to take was already going with someone."_

_ "I'm sorry to hear that," she said, looking down at her dress._

_ I looked up into her chocolate eyes and sighed. "I meant you." _

_ Her eyes widened at those words. I didn't know what she was thinking. Was she surprised? Was she upset? Touched? I didn't know. She didn't say anything for a long time, making the air between us rather awkward. "I… I didn't know."_

_ "I know," was all I could manage to say. "I've liked you for a long time, Clove. You just never saw it."_

_ She frowned and buried her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry! How could I have been so stupid?" she cried. I saw tears coming down her face._

_ I sat closer to her and took her hands away from her face gently. I wiped her tears. "Don't cry. It's prom night. You're not supposed to cry."_

_ "I'm crying because I'm happy. Not because I'm sad. I liked you too, since last year. Why didn't you say anything before?"_

_ "I'm not the most popular guy in the dating department. All the girls go after Peeta or Cato or Gale. Everyone seems to not notice Marvel."_

_ She put her arms on my shoulders and leaned in. Oh my God, I thought. Was I dreaming? Was she actually going to kiss me? After all this time? She pressed her lips against mine. This was a moment that I'd never forget. I was kissing Clove Ventus! "I noticed you."_

_ We both lay back down on the bed of roses. For a long time, we didn't say anything. I was thinking of her the whole time. I wondered if she'd done the same for me. I turned over to face Clove. "Clove," I said._

_ "Yes, Marvel?" she asked softly. She caressed the back of my neck, sending shivers through my body. _

_ "I think I love you."_

_ She smiled and kissed me again, softly. "I don't think I love you," she whispered. "I do love you."_

_ I stood up and held out my hand to help Clove up. "Come on," I said. "Let's go back inside and enjoy the rest of the night." Clove nodded and followed me back into our high school, holding my hand._

* * *

She ran through the crowds of screaming people as gunshots were fired. The sound echoed in her ears. She hurried home. She knew how to get there. People shoved her out of the way, just because she was a kid. People didn't respect you when you were a kid. She was only six years old, but she knew what she was doing and she knew that something terrible had just happened.

She jumped up to ring the doorbell, until her father answered the door. She jumped into his arms and broke down in tears. "Daddy, there's something wrong with Mommy," she managed to get out.

"Tell me what happened, Laurel," he said.

* * *

My daughter and I ran as fast as we could to the scene. Peacekeepers were everywhere. Laurel brought me to the spot where she saw her mother fall down. I saw her on the ground, not moving. My heart stopped. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Tears started falling down my face. "What's wrong with Mommy? Why won't she get up?" Laurel asked. I just shook my head, unable to answer her question.

Laurel and I approached her body. Her chocolate brown eyes were staring into nothing. Her pale skin was still warm, but blood no longer flowed through her veins. Her heart was no longer beating, but my love for her was eternal. I'd love her now, and forever. And so would our daughter, Laurel. I touched her hand and held it to my chest. "Daddy?" Laurel called.

I stood up and picked Laurel up. I walked a few blocks away to Jolson Jewelry, where Cato and Glimmer would be. They'd gotten married too and had a daughter the same age as Laurel and a newborn son. Cato came from behind the counter when he saw me. He frowned when he noticed the tears on my face. "Marv, what happened?" I didn't answer him. I couldn't answer anybody. The pain had cut me like a knife and I'd never heal. "I can't help you unless you tell me what happened?"

Cato's daughter came out from the back room. "Laurel!"

"Lace!" Laurel shrieked and ran to hug her friend. I smiled. They were like sisters, almost. Lace was the sister that Laurel never had.

"Clove," I said. "There was a shooting… She's gone."

"Oh my God. I didn't know. I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Can you look after Laurel? I have to take care of something."

"Sure."

* * *

I walked out of the jewelry store and walked back to Clove's dead body. She had only been taking Laurel for a walk so she could play in the park nearby. He supposed that on the way back, she'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If it hadn't been his Clove, then it could've been his Laurel. He couldn't stomach the thought of losing his daughter. She was the spitting image of Clove, which would make moving on a lot harder.

I picked her up, just as I had on our wedding night. I'd been the happiest man in the world when she'd said, "I do." I scooped her up and spun her around. Everyone had been there… Katniss, Peeta, Gale, Glimmer, Cato… I took her to the high school, in the back of it… where the meadow was. I found the spot where we'd first kissed and lay her body in the bed of roses. I bent down and gathered a bunch of roses to put in her hand. I kissed her cheek and left her.

* * *

That night, Laurel and I stayed at Cato's for dinner. Suddenly, Laurel asked, "Where's Mommy?"

I smiled and wiped away a tear that had fallen. "In a bed of roses."

* * *

**My first Clarvel fanfic. What do you think? Review :)  
**


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